Next Game

"Tell Us What's Going On!"

Representatives of the Sky Blue Trust recently attended the Stadium Forum group organised by Sandra Garlick. Two days earlier Sandra had asked to meet with the Sky Blue Trust Board ahead of its monthly scheduled meeting and we were happy to oblige.

At both meetings we listened carefully to the information presented, so as to be properly informed on reported developments whilst registering our concerns and those of many of our members at the club’s proposed course of action.

We have indicated that we are happy to assist the club in whatever way we can to better improve the Ricoh experience and will look to take this forward with our members.

However, we would like to reiterate our previously stated view that the club is placing excessive emphasis on the need to build a new stadium, which we believe is an unaffordable aim. We call again for the time, energy and finance being devoted to new stadium plans to be invested in the playing squad and in seeking a long-term mutually beneficial partnership with Wasps.

Although we welcome the update given by Tim Fisher at the Stadium Forum these concerns firmly remain.

We are also seeking clarification from Rugby Council about Mr Fisher’s claim that there had been discussions between the Council and Coventry City Football club officials or others acting on its behalf, with regard to plans to build a new stadium on the three sites mentioned in the minutes of the meeting. Rugby’s responses to a series of FOI requests made on behalf of the Trust make no reference to such discussions.

On 24 December 2013, in response to our first round of FOI requests, Rugby Council wrote to us as follows: "Rugby Borough Council can confirm that approximately three months ago the Leader of the Council and Executive Director met with representatives from Coventry City Football Club to discuss the club’s proposals to develop a Category 2 Academy training facility within the borough. The representatives of Coventry City Football Club were informed that the proposals were unacceptable to the council and there has been no communication with the club since that meeting.” In reply to each of the three subsequent rounds of FOI requests, Rugby have stated that there have been no discussions, meetings or correspondence about the matter.

This clearly conflicts with the update given by Tim Fisher at the meeting. It is therefore important that we are able to clear this matter up as soon as possible.

The supporters of Coventry City are enduring a torrid time and have been for far too long now. They deserve, at the very least, to know the accurate position of what's going on.